The Marlins are pursuing relief help, but won't deal prospect Logan Morrison to get it, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Marlins executives know that the team needs to improve its 'pen to contend, so they are trying to add relievers, but whenever the Marlins inquire about one, rival teams ask about 22-year-old first baseman Logan Morrison. If that's the price of adding relievers, the Marlins aren't interested.
Now 35-36, the Marlins are thin on relief help after demoting Jorge Sosa and releasing Renyel Pinto and Hunter Jones. It would be a shock to see the Marlins trade Morrison, the team's top prospect now that Mike Stanton is in the majors, for a reliever. The first baseman is hitting .331/.417/.547 so far in 2010.
Last year the cost of acquiring middle relievers varied. The Dodgers gave up Josh Bell for George Sherrill; the White Sox gave up Brandon Allen for Tony Pena; the Rockies gave up Connor Graham for Rafael Betancourt and Robinson Fabian and Ryan Mattheus for Joe Beimel. Bell and Allen are highly-touted prospects, but the Rockies showed that relievers can be acquired more cheaply.
“It is our official position to not make a Jeff Bagwell-Larry Andersen trade.”